Method of making tubular articles



Patented Oct. 17, 1 933 I i J: r e r UN E T METHOD OF AaTIoLEsf I HarryW; KranmLakewood; and l lomer L. Muele ler, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to TheCleveland Welding Company, Cleveland,' hio, acorporationo! Ohio 1 r L 3 Application October 17, 1929. serial udii 199,2331} ecla m (ems-159.3"

The present invention relates to tubular artidepends on the circumference oiggthe, tubular cles and methods of making the same and oneof element tobe formed, T-shapedblank its objects is to provide a method whereby such shown in Fig, -.1 after being suitably-deformed I tubular articles can be madeot a singleblank of or circularized will appear as shown Fig.2, 5 material thereby efiecting considerable saving the abutting-edges 14 and 15 belng suitably 0; p in the cost of producingsuch article and at the welded or otherwise joined alongtheline 16. e

same time produce anoarticle having a strength Afterlthe blank-has been so circularized,' -the'porand rigidity which is not possible with the 'methtion 12 which lies on one side of the circumfer -n odofmanufacture commonlyemployed Other ential flange 13 is suitably reducedin diameter -10 objects of'this invention-will become apparent along thelines indicatedinFig. 3 aitepwhich 5 as, the description proceeds v V such element 12 'is formedinto anfinwardly-exe .pMore particularly our inventiontcontemplates tending circumierential'flange as shown in Fig. a process which involves the circularizing of a '4, The circumferential flange 13 -isthen flat blank of suitable metal-such as steel having deformed as shown tin Fig-.11 5 and jjurtherdga 15 a longitudinal flange integrally formed, thereformed to correspond tqthe contour thereofil 7o with on one side thereof, and" then, working lustrated in Fig. 6. ;;Aiterf the':circumferential and forming of the resulting flanged tube-in flange 13 has been soaxially deformed, the;por--- such a manner as to obtain some predetermined tion 1 7,of th t b l l t which, is, en distribution and structure: of 'the metal in the passed by the flange 1,3,isenlzirged ind-iameter article bein pr uced. one method ofaccomto efi'ec't, the proper distribution of the metal and 75' plishing the objects 01 our invention is t0 'cirthe terminal 'portion 18 on the opposite qndi gf cularize a; T-shape'd blank into a flanged tubular the t bul r 1ementis hrunk s shown ig- Fig, ele e t by u ti -the adjacent edges asu 7170 further ,bring about-thisfgdesirabledistribu; blank :after it hasbeen rolledinto shape by tion of-the metal, the terminal portion 18 having" welding and then working the metal comprising been previously formedv into: inwardly-die 8o and ke vehicles; "1 1 such tubular element into the form of a tubular t d i f hti lwfl 1 9,- Thgflextstep hub shell of varying diameter adapted to be used i at forming iocess-.is the-iurther shrinking as a hubelementior .a.;wire;spoke wheelrcomor the medial-portion 20 alongawithf the .ter monly used in thexconstruction of automobiles minal pOItl0n ,1- 8.,W1110hnmay be :a,dcomplishgd p .Y simultaneously with the-.,;forming of-{the cup 85 To the accomplishment-of, the for n and shaped-indentations 21 ingthe inwardly directed related end said inventio em consists of th circumferential flange 12; rl'hetlasttoperation means here u y a' d" c f consists of 'forming apertures 22 ;in theacup i larly pointed out in the claims, V shaped identations 21:and rebendingthe-inner T a n x d drawin a d th f l w e- 'edges'23 of the inwardly directedtcircumferential 9o" O Dt O in detail certain mechanism flange '12. "The cutting out of :the bottomsporembody the n e i e disclosed m tions of thegcup shaped indentations 21v leavesan- I c n t ut however; one Q nularlshoulders 24 surrounding the apertures22 chanicalforms in which the-P D mg which'are now adapted to receive the boltsby a 40 invention maybe used; Y Y a which the hub shell structure is seemed; In 95" 1 In said annexed drawingr a Figil'O, the numeralsappearing thereon from l Fig. 1 is a fragmentary isometric VleW 01 h? to 9 inclusive respectivelydesignatefthe various blank employed n producing the tubular arti- 011 the diflerentfiportions; ofhthe -1 v. H ole; Fig. 2z is a perspective view of the T-shaped haped flange during the process of' formingilt' blank after been circulated; Fig.5; to into thefinishedthub hell-shoWnbytlie frag-3100 l 9 inclusivev are" fragmentary sectional views t y sectioni viewoffFigtgb Theappamtus e showin t ou P Q h tubular shell for accomplishing thee-aforementioned results" i durin the succ ssive forming operation Fi may consist, of anyl'number orsuitable devices 10 is a diag ammatic composite v ewo h Varibut'therdeformation of the T- shaped blank intof Qlls shapes of thetelement during thev formin the tubular element .shownin Fig. 2* maybe arc-;; Process. v r p 4 p f V complished b'y means of .athree-rollvtype py'ra x v Referring more specifically: to the drawing and midforming machine'or such tubular form may more especially to-Fig.1, the blank here shown beqaccomplished by bumping or rounding the consists of horizontal legs ll'and 12 and a verblank on a pressor bulldozerzor dies or other :55 c j-l sl t m 13-. .Ther e e h of e lank suitable machinesv "I'he-i' adjacent edges- 14 "and V 15 of the tubular element are weldedv on an electric butt welder or automatic electric flash' welder by clamping such ends in welding dies with opposite polarity and heating such ends so rected circumferential flange as illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 is accomplished in a high powered mechanical or hydraulic type press with suit able blocks or dies. This curling and shrinking process increases the thickness of the metalin this portion of the tubular element and presents 'the'proper strength to the portion of the hub shellwhich-iscalled upon' to carry the greatest 7 amount of stress to which such shell or hub is subjected. V v The axial-deformation of the outwardly projecting circumferential flange 13 as illustrated in F'ig. '5 maybe accomplished in any suitable type of machine in which the flange is so. rolled or pressed into shape. After the -flange -l3 has been so' rolled or pressed into shape, the por-' tion 17 0! the 'tubular'element is stretched in a speoial expanding chuck which enlargesthe diameter 'of the shell ;at this point over the initial diameter as shown in Fig. 2.. The'fo'rma tion of the inwardly'circumferential flange 19 on the-terminal portion18 may be effected by a suitable 'curling die' operated by mechanical or hydraulic" power presses for a special design machina and may be preformed preliminary to the stretching process. 'The shrinking process to whichthe terminal portion 18 is thereupon subjectedto as illustrated in Fig. 7 may be accomplished-by a shrinking-machine having a plurality 'of radially contracting segmental dies operated "either mechanically or hydraulically and which accomplish this deformation without a breaking or a curling of the terminal portion 18 and the circumferential flange 19. The formation of the cup shapedindentations 21 and the rebent ends 23 ofthe-inwardly directed circumferentialflange 12 maybe accomplished by the operation of a suitable die actuated by either mechanical'or hydraulic press of sufficient capacity toform such indentations with well defined outline. 'The apertures 22 may be formed by :either drilling outthe bottom of the cupshaped indentations 21"or by'punching and then facing off the bottom of such apertures to present the annular bearing surfaces 24around suchapertures which will serve a's'a' suitable bearing for'the bolt heads securing the hub in its assembled position. I

F From the foregoing description, itwillv be apparent that .a' hub shell can'b'e formed in which a proper distribution-of the metal-is effected ac cording to. the stresses which the various portionsof the structure: are subjected to as well as the formation-.cf-the' .complete hub shell out ofya singleI-blank without the necessity of assemblingseveral bl'ankswhich' has the uncle sirablev features! of excessive cost as well as inferior-resulting. strength. 7 I :A further advantage which is apparent in connection withour present method of forming such. tubular articlesis that the long axes of.

the fibers in the finished article will extend circumferentially thereof, which arrangement of the fibers materially adds to the strength and rigidityof the finished product. The diameter of the blank as illustrated in Fig. 2'is shown of. a slightly smaller diameter than that of the finishedhub shellatthe portion 17 and is of a slightly larger diameter than the terminal portion 18 of the finished article. a This relation in the magnitude of the various dimensions peromits the article to be formed without an exc essive stretching or shrinking in either of the above mentioned portions and still per-' mits of the differences of magnitude of these dimensions which could not be accomplishedwere the shrinking process or the stretching process respectively relied upon to entirely accomplish this variation in the diameter ofthe two' portions.

I Other forms may be employed embodying the features of our invention instead of the one here explained, change being made'in the form or construction, provided the elements stated by. any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated elements be employed, whether produced by our preferred'method or by others embodying steps equivalent -to those stated in the following claims.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:-

1. In the manufacture-of flanged tubular longitudinal flange extending therefrom inter mediately of its sides, reducing the diameter of a portion of such tubular element, enlarging the diameterof the portion of such tubular element encompassed by said flange, forming .theportion' of said tubular article on one side of said flange into a circumferential flange; and then axially. deforming said flange. 1 r 1 2. In the manufacture of flanged tubular articles, the methodcomprising the tubulation of .a'; flanged blank, forming inwardly directed circumferential flanges on both'ends of such tubular element, enlarging the-diameter of the portion of such tubular element encompassed by said' flange, forming apertures in one of such articles of varying diameter, the method com prisingthe tubulation of a flat blank having a,

forming the first named flange.

articles,- the method comprising the forming of a flanged blank into a tubular element having an outwardly, extending circumferential. flange, forming inwardly extending circumferential flanges on the ends of suchtubular element, enlarging thediameter of the portion of such tubular element encompassed bysaid flange, axially deforming said outwardly extending circumferential flange, and then forming apertures in one' of said inwardlyfextending circumferential flanges." Y V '4. In the manufacture of flanged tubular articles of varying diameter, the "method comprising the forming ,of aflanged blank into a tubular element having an outwardly extending flange, reducing the diameter of one terminal r 3. In the manufacture of flanged tubular portion of such tubular element, enlarging the diameter'ofthe portion of such tubular element encompassed by said flange, forming inwardly j struck-up annular seats, and rebending the inner periphery of one of such inner flange s.

'5. In the manufacture of flanged tubular articles of varying diameter, the method comprising thetubulation of a flanged'blank forming the portion of such tubular element on one side of said flange into a circumferential flange,

axially deforming said first named flange, enlarging thediameter of the portion of' the tubular element encompassed by said flanges and then reducing the diameter of a portion of such tubular element.

6. In the manufacture of flanged tubular articles of varying diameter, the method comcumferential-flange, axially deforming said first named flange, enlarging the diameter 01 that .portion of said tubular element containing said flanges, reducing the diameter of the remaining portion of such tubular element, forming a circumferential'flange on the end of this reduced portion and then forming aperturesy in'said inwardly directed circumferential flange.

HARRY w.'1mANz., H ER L. MUELLER. 

